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Stability, phase transitions, and numerical breakdown of fractional Chern insulators in higher Chern bands of the Hofstadter model

Andrews, Bartholomew, Neupert, Titus, Möller, Gunnar (2021) Stability, phase transitions, and numerical breakdown of fractional Chern insulators in higher Chern bands of the Hofstadter model. Physical Review B: Condensed Matter and Materials Physics, 104 . Article Number 125107. ISSN 0163-1829. (doi:10.1103/PhysRevB.104.125107) (KAR id:92347)

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Official URL:
https://journals.aps.org/prb/abstract/10.1103/Phys...

Abstract

The Hofstadter model is a popular choice for theorists investigating the fractional quantum Hall effect on lattices, due to its simplicity, infinite selection of topological flat bands, and increasing applicability to real materials. In particular, fractional Chern insulators in bands with Chern number |C|>1 can demonstrate richer physical properties than continuum Landau level states and have recently been detected in experiments. Motivated by this, we examine the stability of fractional Chern insulators with higher Chern number in the Hofstadter model, using large-scale infinite density matrix renormalization group simulations on a thin cylinder. We confirm the existence of fractional states in bands with Chern numbers C=1,2,3,4,5 at the filling fractions predicted by the generalized Jain series [Phys. Rev. Lett. 115, 126401 (2015)]. Moreover, we discuss their metal-to-insulator phase transitions, as well as the subtleties in distinguishing between physical and numerical stability. Finally, we comment on the relative suitability of fractional Chern insulators in higher Chern number bands for proposed modern applications.

Item Type: Article
DOI/Identification number: 10.1103/PhysRevB.104.125107
Uncontrolled keywords: fractional Chern insulators, incompressible quantum liquids, topological flat bands, Hofstadter model
Subjects: Q Science > QC Physics > QC173.45 Condensed Matter
Q Science > QC Physics > QC174.12 Quantum theory
Divisions: Divisions > Division of Natural Sciences > Physics and Astronomy
Funders: Organisations -1 not found.
Depositing User: Gunnar Moeller
Date Deposited: 15 Dec 2021 17:23 UTC
Last Modified: 09 Dec 2022 06:42 UTC
Resource URI: https://kar.kent.ac.uk/id/eprint/92347 (The current URI for this page, for reference purposes)

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